Tomtom Global Content B.v.

Tomtom Polska Sp. Z O.o

Wojciech Tomasz Nowak

Marcin Michal Kmiecik

Sven Coppens

A computerized method of creating map data from a plurality of trips where each trip comprises position data derived from the positions of at least one navigation device over a period of time, the method comprising using a processing circuitry to perform the following steps: i. processing the position data; ii. calculating, from the processing of the position data, trip terminal positions at which the navigation device started to generate positions and/or stopped generating positions and which provide an end point of a trip; iii. performing statistical analysis on the terminal positions in order to determine origin locations at which trips commonly terminate and/or originate; iv. generating further map data, which comprises the origin locations.

Method of creating map data

A computer arrangement is disclosed, including a processor and a memory that stores a computer program, object data originating from a first source and including object location data, and laser samples originating from a second source, including a sub-set of laser samples relating to the object and including laser sample location data as to each laser sample. In at least one embodiment, the processor compares the object location data and the laser sample location data of the sub-set of laser samples, and matches the object location data to the laser sample location data of the sub-set of laser samples based on this comparison, and thereby corrects for relative positional errors between the first and second sources of location data. The object may be a building fa&#xe7;ade, for example.

Computer arrangement for and method of matching location data of different sources

A method is disclosed for generating an orthorectified tile. In at least one embodiment, the method includes retrieving source images obtained by way of a terrestrial based camera; retrieving position data associated with the source images; retrieving orientation data associated with the source images; and converting source image by means of corresponding position data and orientation data to obtain the orthorectified tile. Orthorectified tiles are used to generate an orthorectified mosaic. As such, images recorded by terrestrial based camera may be used to generate a map of a road surface with corresponding road signs.

Method and apparatus for generating an orthorectified tile

This invention relates to a method for updating digital maps and for matching global navigation devices to a digital map. Such navigation devices rely upon GPS signals () from satellites (). One well-documented cause of position error in navigation devices arises from the phenomenon of GPS multi-path. It has been observed that GPS multi-path errors in the latitude/longitude direction are highly correlated with errors in altitude. By comparing altitude value of GPS probe data with reference specifications for altitude, unreliable probe data (outliers) can be easily identified and culled. Such techniques can be used as well by a mobile navigation device to confirm a match to a particular road segment and if not revert to other positioning techniques such as inertial guidance systems and the like. If the local altitude is not reliably known, an estimation can be derived directly from the collected probe data.

Method for updating digital maps using altitude information

A method of producing linear features along a reference-line across a surface for use in a map database is disclosed. In at least one embodiment, the method includes generating, from reference-line data representative of coordinates of the reference-line in a geographic coordinate reference system and source images of the surface adjacent to the reference-line and associated position and orientation data in the geographic coordinate reference system, a reference-line referenced data set, wherein the reference-line referenced data set includes a plurality of sets of image data and associated data defining a reference-line' across a surface in the geographic coordinate reference system, the sets of image data including pixels wherein a set of image data corresponds to an orthorectified view representation of a line section of the surface in the geographic coordinate reference system, each set of image data includes a reference pixel being associated with a position on the reference-line, wherein each pixel represents a surface having a position at a distance from the position of the reference pixel along the line section, and wherein the line section perpendicularly crosses the reference-line at the position associated with the reference pixel; and, post processing the reference-line referenced data set to produce linear features along the reference-line and associated locations in the geographic coordinate reference system for use in a map database.

Growing community of inventors

Konstantynow Lodzki, Poland

Wojciech Tomasz Nowak